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Reports of abundant land in Kansas Territory convince Charles Ingalls that his family's future lies west of the Mississippi. His (pregnant) wife Caroline is apprehensive, but dutifully packs up their belongings and prepares for a 700-mile covered wagon journey. Authorized by the Little House literary estate, Caroline unfolds from the perspective of Ma Ingalls; the narrative bridges the events of Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie, in case you're inspired to revisit the original series.

After escaping slavery in Virginia, Samuel Long travels the Underground Railroad to Walden Pond where he meets Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and a host of other transcendentalists and abolitionists and experiences his coming-of-age while his hosts receive a lesson in human dignity.

Establishing a stable home and Western Union Telegraph Office in post-World War II Philadelphia, the hardworking Palazzini family is shattered by their nephew's epiphany in the wake of a telegram that changes everything for the citizens of a small Italian-American village.

A young apprentice works secretly for the Austrian resistance in World War II and resolves to save the fiery daughter of his Jewish stamp engraver master, a story that is found decades later by a divorced descendant who investigates an unusual stamp on an old love letter. By the award-winning author of Margot.

In this sequel to One Thousand White Women, participants in a federal "Brides for Indians" program have lost their Cheyenne husbands in a brutal attack by the U.S. Army. The Vengeance of Mothers describes the experiences of two widowed sisters and their rebellion against the U.S. government, interspersing their diary entries with accounts of the events up to the Great Sioux War of 1876.

Unfulfilled in her marriage to academic Al Fisher, aspiring writer Mary Frances Kennedy pursues married painter Dillywn "Tim" Parrish -- who, unlike Al, supports her literary ambitions while satisfying her physical desires. Set in 1930s Los Angeles, Paris, and the Swiss Alps, this lush and atmospheric biographical novel stars pioneering food writer M.F.K. Fisher, of whom W.H. Auden once said, "I do not know of anyone in the United States who writes better prose." For another fictionalized account of a real-life love triangle, try Lily King's Euphoria, inspired by the life of anthropologist Margaret Mead.

After the death of his mother -- an accused witch in a pre-Civil War England where the Protestant Reformation is beginning to take hold -- John Saturnall becomes a kitchen boy at Buckland Manor, the estate of Sir William Fremantle, where his refined palate and culinary talents ensure his eventual promotion to head cook -- and attract the attention of Sir William's headstrong daughter, Lucretia. But when Lucretia's father promises her hand in marriage to her loutish cousin, Lucretia's protest takes the form of a hunger strike -- and it's up to John to entice her to break her fast. For another lush, dramatic tale about an orphan boy who rises to the rank of master chef and employs his talents to woo his lady love, try Elle Newmark's The Book of Unholy Mischief, set in Venice during the Renaissance.

Although James Gould's official title is "wedding officer," his actual duties require him to prevent marriages between the Allied soldiers stationed in Naples and their Italian girlfriends. The locals, perplexed by the polite young British captain who won't accept bribes, send widow Livia Pertini to cook for him, hoping that she'll distract him from their illegal activities. So Livia sets to work seducing James with her cooking, never expecting to fall for him. Lavish descriptions of food and cooking make this World War II love story a sensual feast for readers.

Legendary chef Auguste Escoffier -- creator of such culinary masterpieces as Peach Melba -- has never invented a dish for his wife, Delphine (though he has named at least two after his longtime mistress, actress Sarah Bernhardt). Can Delphine persuade him to honor her before she dies? Interwoven with scenes from the Escoffiers' marriage are flashbacks that reveal how Auguste, a former army cook, revolutionized French haute cuisine by combining military discipline in the kitchen with a scientific approach to food preparation. With its vivid depiction of early 20th-century France and its mouth-watering descriptions of meals, White Truffles in Winter is a treat for foodies, Francophiles, and fans of historical fiction.